Tuesday, June 26, 2012

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.~Paul Sweeney

Books are a uniquely portable magic.~Stephen King

A blessed companion is a book, - a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,... a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own.~Douglas Jerrold

www.quotegarden.com/books.html

Books are so very powerful. One can so easily get lost in the pages of a great book. And by lost...I mean LOST. I become so attached to books that I, like the quote says, feel like I lost a friend when I am finished. I feel such an attachment to the characters. I create this whole imaginary scenario in my head that is oh so amazing. Books allow me to escape reality for a bit and indulge in the life of someone else. An imaginary someone else that seems so unimaginary. The first book series that I became, well, OBSESSED with was the "Twilight" series. I don't think any book will top Twilight. I am amazed at how authors can write such amazing books that simply intrigue readers. I would love to be able to write in such a way. Anyways, I was inspired today as I finished another book and started another imaginary journey...and I wanted to share this inspiration with you :)

And how can you forget the most powerful book of them all? The absolute one and only TRUTH is found in this book here. Now how POWERFUL is that?

Happy Reading, All! :)

P.S. What are some of your favorite books? I am always looking for another great book to read :)

Monday, June 25, 2012

Thanks, Lizy for giving me this award! You are so sweet :) Visit "Beauty By Lizy" here.

This award is given to blogs with 200 followers or less.

The Rules:

1. You must link back to the person who gave you the reward.

2. You must post 11 things about yourself.

3. You must answer the questions the person giving you the award has created for you.

4. You must create 11 questions for the people to answer that you choose to give the award to.

5. You can't give the award back to the blogger that gave it to you.

11 Things About Me:

Ok...I already did a post titled "30 Random Things About Me." You can read it here. Since this is supposed to be 11 things that you didn't know about me, I will try not to include one that I have already said.

1. I become very easily obsessed with book series.

2. I have been on one mission trip to Guatemala. I would love to go on another.

3. I love hard dip ice cream and despise soft serve ice cream.

4. My favorite flavor of hard dip is probably cinnamon.

5. I would love to have a beach house by the ocean (who wouldn't?). There are few things that are more soothing and peaceful than the ocean.

6. I can not live in a house without a pet. When I move out, I want to get a doberman pinscher (best dog ever) or a weimaraner.

7. I hate shopping for shoes. While some people consider them the most important part of an outfit, I consider them the least important. Can't they just magically appear in my closet?

8. I love the outdoors, but camping in a tent blows. There are few things that are worse than sleeping in a damp, sticky tent on damp, sticky sheets and waking up with damp, sticky hair, and a damp, sticky body. Cabin please.

9. I just love the movie "Walk The Line." Watched it last night again. I don't even know how many times I've seen it.

10. I love to curl up on a hammock with a blanket at night and watch the stars.

11. I would never make it through this world without God. Oh, what he has blessed me with.

Lizy's Questions:

1. Do you know what your parents were going to call you if you were born the opposite sex? If I was a boy, mom was going to name me Orry.

2. What is your favorite food? Hmm...that is a tough one. I love all kinds of food. Some of my favorite meals are steak and potatoes, fish and chips, and chicken and rice.

3. Best bath/shower product? Right now I am loving "Yes To Carrots" products. I use "Yes To Tomatoes" shampoo, conditioner, and face wash. You can visit their site here.

4. Short or long nails? I would say short. But not too short. Just a little bit of white tips showing.

7. What is your one favorite Christmas tradition? It's hard to pick just one! I would have to say picking out a live tree for our home. (I INSIST on a live tree every year). It is just not Christmas without one.

8. Do you have a favorite Royal? Um...Princess Diana? I did a report on her in school.

9. What is your favorite dessert? Cookies and a glass of milk.

10. Favorite place in the world? I haven't been to many places...but my favorite place would have to be my childhood home. There really is no place like home.

11. What is your craziest hope or dream? Well, those who really know me, know that I'm not very crazy. Ha! So...my craziest dream would be to be a stay-at-home mom!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Friday morning, I woke up craving chocolate chip muffins. I knew that I had pancake mix. I wondered if I could make quick muffins out of that. Well, I googled and found a great, easy recipe! I found it here. This recipe makes blueberry muffins. I'm not a huge fan of blueberries, so I just used dark chocolate chips instead. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups pancake mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine pancake mix and sugar. In another bowl, whisk the egg, water, and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.

2. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen.

***Notes: You could use any oil. I used olive oil. Also, I would recommend using foil cupcake liners. They have a paper liner inside the foil liner. They keep the muffins moist! Constantly check your muffins. I like mine very soft and moist. They will quickly overbake.

Friday, June 22, 2012

I sometimes experience anxiety, and I have recently been having anxiety-filled dreams that have caused me to wake up in the morning full of....well, anxiety. So, I have been told to think of an image in my head right before I go to sleep. This image is supposed to be what I portray as being "PEACEFUL." So, I thought I would start sharing some of these images here on my blog on Fridays......

How I would die to be here right now...on this little blue boat in Fiji...with a drink in my hand...soaking up some beautiful rays...ahhhhhh.............